Assessor

Pam Cook

2019 Re-Assessment Project

This reassessment of all real property is the result of a decision made by the Town of Austerlitz to create fair and equitable assessments at 100% of Market Value. It is done pursuant to Sections 301 and 305 of the New York State Real Property Tax Law (RPTL.) It is the intent of the Town to complete the reassessment in accordance with Section 1573 RPTL, rules and procedures in order to qualify for State Aid.

To accomplish this in the most economical or fiscally responsible way it is the decision of the Town of Austerlitz to perform the project as a combined effort between the Town Assessor’s office and the Columbia County Real Property Tax office. Columbia County will be aiding the Assessor with data verification, valuation support and guidance.

The first step is to verify the inventory Data currently on file. During this process either the Assessor or the County Data Collector will be briefly visiting each property to verify the inventory on record and take a digital photo.

In some cases this can be done from the public right of way. In other cases it will be necessary to knock on the door before we take new measurements or access the rear of the property.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, weather and associated costs we cannot make appointments during this process. The process will begin around March 2018.

This portion of the project should be complete by September 2018. At that time Data Mailers will be sent to each property owner with a listing of their inventory. Owners will be able to return the mailers with corrections if necessary.